Pollution-reducing fuel filter

ABSTRACT

A one-piece plastic bottle having an inlet adjacent its lower end receiving gasoline from a fuel pump, an outlet below its upper end passing gasoline to a carburetor, a layer of water mixed with soluble oil below the outlet, and a sealed compartment for captive air above the outlet so that gasoline bubbles through the mixture, forms a layer thereon, and is cushioned from above by captive air under pressure. A refill opening on the upper end of the bottle is closed by a cap frictionally anchored in place by an O-ring seal.

United States Patent 1 Tomlinson 111 3,724,429 [451 Apr. 3, 1973 [54]POLLUTION-REDUCING FUEL FILTER [76] Inventor: Norfleet Tomlinson, 6433West 82nd Street, Los Angeles, Calif. 90045 [22] Filed: Nov. 16,1970

[21] Appl. No.: 90,201

[52] US. Cl ..123/25 R, 123/25 E, 123/25 G, l96/46.1, 210/21, 210/511,261/2, 261/18 A [51] Int. Cl. ..F02d 19/00, F02d 47/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..196/46, 46.1; 137/206, 172, 137/587; 210/21, 511; 123/25 G, 25H, 25 D,

25 E, 25 R; 215/1 C; 220/85 VR, 18 VS, 86

R; 261/2-8, 36 A, 18 A; 23/271, 26 B, 26 D,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,450,116 6/1969 Knight eta1. ..123/25 1,373,720 4/1921 Gish ....210/511 X 1,812,231 6/1931 Agnew..123/25 1,960,982 5/1934 Stover ..123/25 2,570,369 10/1951 Murray.....

2,980,275 4/1961 Lundgren 2,920,777 1/1960 Cole 1,573,485 2/1926Fritts....

3,259,266 7/1966 Adler ..215/43 R Primary Examiner-Norman YudkoffAssistant ExaminerDavid Edwards Att0rney-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee &Utecht [57] ABSTRACT A one-piece plastic bottle having an inlet adjacentits lower end receiving gasoline from a fuel pump, an outlet below itsupper end passing gasoline to a carburetor, a layer of water mixed withsoluble oil below the outlet, and a sealed compartment for captive airabove the outlet so that gasoline bubbles through the mixture, forms alayer thereon, and is cushioned from above by captive air underpressure. A refill opening on the upper end of the bottle is closed by acap frictionally anchored in place by an O-ring seal.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PUMP POLLUTION-REDUCING FUEL FILTERBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to thefiltering of fuel as it passes through the fuel supply system of aninternal combustion engine such as an automobile engine, and relatesmore particularly to a pollution-reducing filter of the type in whichthe fuel, typically gasoline, is passed through water or a water mixtureprior to being fed into the carburetor of the automobile.

In general, it has been known that such treatment of fuel prior tofeeding of the fuel to the engine has beneficial results, both inwashing suspended foreign sub stances from the fuel and in adding smallquantities of water to the fuel to increase the quality of performanceof the engine. One prior approach is shown in US. Pat. No. 1,373,720which discloses a float-controlled valve arrangement whereby gasoline ispassed through water in a tank, filling the upper end of the tank fromwhich it flows to a carburetor.

Other related approaches have been suggested, but have not been found tobe commercially practical, despite the recognized advantages of thetreatment, including smoother engine performance, improved gasolinemileage, lengthened spark plug life, improved cleanliness of carburetorsand engine parts, and, most importantly, reduced emission ofsmog-producing pollutants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in the filteringof gasoline or other fuel through a body of water prior to introductionof the fuel into the engine, in a novel manner which renders thetreatment completely safe and practical, and also highly effective toadd small quantities of a mixture of water and soluble oil to thegasoline for passage with the gasoline through the carburetor and intothe engine. Moreover, the invention avoids interference with the normalfuel flow to the carburetor and smoothes out pulses in the flow whichotherwise might exist.

More specifically, the invention utilizes a container having verticallyspaced fuel inlet and outlet openings and adapted to be filled withwater to a level between these openings, the lower, inlet opening beingconnectible to a line leading to the fuel pump of an automobile, and theupper, outlet opening being connectible to a line leading to thecarburetor. Above the outlet opening is a closed air compartment forholding a captive body of compressed air forming a cushion which resistsmovement of the fuel above the normal fuel level adjacent the outletopening.

Since the mixture of water and soluble oil is gradually consumed in use,a refill opening is provided in the air compartment but is covered by aclosure cap which is both threaded and frictionally sealed on thecontainer by a seal ring which resists vibrational loosening of the capin use. Preferably, the container is a one-piece plastic bottle havingthe air compartment as a reduced-size extension of the body, and theclosure is a cap threaded onto a neck on the upper end of the extension,with the seal ring confined between the neck and a depending skirt onthe cap. The neck is offset to one side of the extension to form a headon the bottle for more securing mounting, and the soluble oil in thewater provides a line of color demarcation indicating the water level,and also minimizes rust in the system.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational viewschematically showing the basic components of the fuel supply system ofan internal combustion engine equipped with a fuel filter embodying thenovel features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken in a central verticalplan through the fuel filter of FIG. I, with connecting lines shownfragmentarily and partly broken away;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section of the partssubstantially within the arc 44 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As shown in the drawings for purposes ofillustration, the invention is embodied in a pollution-reducing fuelfilter l0 incorporated into the fuel supply system of an internalcombustion engine, partly shown at 11 in FIG. 1, the system including aconventional fuel pump 12 having an intake line 13 leading to thegasoline tank of an automobile (not shown), and an output line 14through which the gasoline is pumped toward a carburetor 15 mounted onthe intake manifold 17 of the engine. Since the present invention is notlimited in utility to any particular type of engine or arrangement ofparts of the fuel combustion system, it is to be understood that theseparts are shown herein for background purposes only.

The fuel filter 10 is interposed in the fuel supply system between thefuel pump 12 and the carburetor 15 so as to receive gasoline from thefuel pump through the output line 14. After passing through the filter,the gasoline flows to the carburetor through a continuation 18 of theoutput line leading to the intake of the carburetor. Of course, thegasoline then is mixed with air and introduced into the intake manifold17 for combustion in the conventional manner.

In passing through the fuel filter 10, the gasoline is bubbled through aliquid layer 19 composed primarily of water, and in doing so, is washedto remove suspended impurities, which remain in the water, and alsopicks up a relatively small amount of the water, which is carried withthe gasoline through the carburetor l5 and into the intake manifold 17.As has been mentioned, this treatment has the recognized advantages ofincreasing gasoline mileage and continuously cleaning the associatedparts for generally improved performance and reduced maintenancerequirements. The primary advantage of the treatment, however, is amarked reduction in smog-producing pollutants in the exhaust emissionfrom the engine. This has been attributed to the reduction of the fuelcombustion temperature by the water carried by the gasoline, and to thecontinuous cleaning of the engine, and the spark plugs and pointsthereof, by the steam which is formed by the water. It has been foundthat such cleaning results in a sharp reduction of carbon in the exhaustafter a relatively short period of such treatment.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the fuel filter of the presentinventioncomprises a vertically elongated container having an inlet adjacent itslower end 21, an outlet 22 spaced well above the inlet, and a closed aircompartment 23 constituting the upper end portion of the container andprojecting well above the level of the outlet. The lower portion of thecontainer is filled with a mixture of water and soluble oil to a level24 above the inlet 20 but below the outlet 22, and a layer 25 ofgasoline is shown above the water layer 19 to a level 27 above theoutlet. A refill opening 28 is formed in the upper portion of thecontainer for replenishment of the water mixture in the container, butnormally is securely closed and sealed by a closure 29.

With this general arrangement, the container first is filled with thewater mixture approximately to the level 24, which may be indicated by aline on the container visible from the exterior thereof, and then issealed by the closure 29 preparatory to operation of the automobile.Then, as the automobile is started, the fuel pump 12 forces gasolinethrough the line 14 and the inlet 20 into the container below the waterlevel 24, to bubble up through the water toward the outlet 22. Thegasoline, being lighter than water, forms the layer 25 on top of thewater and rapidly builds up to the level 27 above the outlet 22.

As this occurs, the gasoline layer displaces air from the containeruntil it rises above the outlet 22, and then begins to flow out throughthe outlet. The captive air trapped in the compartment 23 above thegasoline is placed under pressure, determined primarily by the fuel pump12, and forms a resilient cushion resisting movement of the gasolineinto the compartment but yielding to absorb pulses of gasoline into thecontainer, thus smoothing out the flow of gasoline through thecontainer. Accordingly, the filter 10 serves its primary purpose ofadding water to the gasoline passing through the water and'washing thegasoline, and also cushions the pulses of gasoline while minimizingsplashing of gasoline or water against the closure 29.

The preferred embodiment of the filter 10 uses a one-piece plasticbottle of the shape shown, in which the inlet 20 is a passage through anintegral, laterally projecting tube 30 adjacent the bottom 21 of thebottle, and the outlet 22 is a passage through a similar integral tube31 adjacent the upper end 32 of the body of the bottle. Each tubepreferably has an external encircling rib 33 (FIG. 2) adjacent its freeend for anchoring the tube in the line l4, 18 into which it istelescoped.

The air compartment 23 is defined by an integral, hollow, and generallycylindrical extension 34, of reduced cross-sectional area, projectingupwardly from the upper end 32 of the body of the bottle, and the refillopening 28 is at the open upper end ofa tubular extension forming a neck35 at the upper end of the extension 34. This neck is offset laterallyfrom the center line of the air compartment, reducing the direct flowarea from the main body to the refill opening and forming a hollowintegral head 37 below which the bottle may be securely held by a clamp(not shown). Adjacent its upper end, the neck is externally threaded at38 to receive the closure 29.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 2 and t, the closure 29 is a cup-shapedcap having an internal thread mating with the threads on the neck, andhas a sealing disk 39 against its top wall pressed tightly against theupper end of the neck 35 to provide a tight seal between the cap and theneck. In addition, the depending sidewall of the cap extends downwardlybeyond the threaded portion of the neck to form a skirt 40 whichoverlies a resilient O-ring seal 41 encircling the neck below thethreaded portion. This seal serves the dual purpose of backing up thesealing disk 39 to insure against leakage through the threads, and ofproviding a friction anchor resisting untwisting of the cap as a resultof vibration of the bottle in use. Thus, the cap is tightly sealed andsecurely held to prevent accidental leakage or loosening.

A very small amount of soluble oil should be mixed with the'water toprovide a visible line of color demarcation between the gasoline and thewater and to continuously lubricate the parts which are exposed to thewater. While various oils may be used, an example of a suitable oil isthat sold under the trademark Bars Leak for use as a radiator lubricant.In practice, about one thimbleful of such oil has been mixed to one pintof water. A suitable amount of antifreeze also may be added incold-weather areas.

It should be noted that one charge of about one-half pint of the watermixture in a l-pint bottle has been found sufficient to last through atleast three or four tanks of gasoline. As the water is consumed, thewater level 24 gradually recedes and the gasoline layer 25 increasesdownwardly in thickness. Even when all the water has been consumed,however, the filter 10 remains effective to pass gasoline between thefuel pump 12 and the carburetor 15, so no hazard results frominadvertent failure to replenish the water.

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that the present inventionprovides a safe and effective fuel filter 10 for accomplishing theintended purposes, and does this in a relatively simple and inexpensivemanner permitting the filter to be installed simply and easily onexisting automobiles. It also will be apparent that, while a particularform of the invention has been illustrated and described, variousmodifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe in- I vention.

I claim: 1. A pollution-reducing fuel filter for incorporation in thefuel supply system of an internal combustion engine, said filtercomprising:

a one-piece plastic bottle filled to a preselected level with water andhaving an inlet below said level and adjacent its lower end forconnection to the fuel supply of the engine, and an outlet spaced abovesaid preselected level far enough to form a layer of fuel between saidpreselected level and said outlet;

said bottle having a hollow, generally cylindrical extension projectingupwardly above said outlet for holding a body of captive air underpressure above said layer of fuel, and a reduced diameter upper endportion forming a hollow head on said extension for clamping of saidbottle in place below said head;

a neck extending upwardly from said head in laterally offset relationwith said extension and threaded to receive a threaded closure;

and a cap constituting a closure threaded on said neck and tightlysealed against the latter to hold the captive air in said extension asfuel bubbles through the water and forms the layer thereon from whichthe fuel and water passes out through said outlet.

2. A fuel filter as defined in claim 1 further including a first sealpressed between the cap and the end of said neck, and a second seal inthe form of an O-ring encircling said neck, said cap having a skirttelescoped over said neck and pressed tightly against said second sealboth to form a back-up for said first seal and to frictionally anchorsaid cap on said neck.

3. A fuel filter as defined in claim 1 in which said water is mixed withsoluble oil.

4. A pollution-reducing filter for incorporation on the fuel supplysystem of an internal combustion engine, said filter comprising:

a plastic bottle having an inlet in the lower portion but above thebottom thereof, for connection to the fuel supply of the engine, and anoutlet spaced above said inlet and opening laterally through a sidewallof the bottle for connection to the fuel intake of the engine, and beingfilled with water to a level between said inlet and said outlet so as tobubble fuel from said inlet upwardly through the water and form a layerof fuel in said bottle from said level to above said outlet;

said bottle also having an integral extension of reduced cross-sectionalarea defining a closed air compartment above said outlet for holding abody of captive air under pressure above said fuel layer and forming acushion for maintaining a substantially even flow of fuel to and throughsaid bottle, said extension having a laterally offset tubular projectionon the upper end of said extension;

said bottle having an opening in the upper end of said projection forthe replenishment of water therein after the water level has fallen inuse as a result of entrainment of water in the fuel passing through thebottle;

and a cap tightly but removably threaded onto said projection andsealing said opening.

1. A pollution-reducing fuel filter for incorporation in the fuel supplysystem of an internal combustion engine, said filter comprising: aone-piece plastic bottle filled to a preselected level with water andhaving an inlet below said level and adjacent its lower end forconnection to the fuel supply of the engine, and an outlet spaced abovesaid preselected level far enough to form a layer of fuel between saidpreselected level and said outlet; said bottle having a hollow,generally cylindrical extension projecting upwardly above said outletfor holding a body of captive air under pressure above said layer offuel, and a reduced diameter upper end portion forming a hollow head onsaid extension for clamping of said bottle in place below said head; aneck extending upwardly from said head in laterally offset relation withsaid extension and threaded to receive a threaded closure; and a capconstituting a closure threaded on said neck and tightly sealed againstthe latter to hold the captive air in said extension as fuel bubblesthrough the water and forms the layer thereon from which the fuel andwater passes out through said outlet.
 2. A fuel filter as defined inclaim 1 further including a first seal pressed between the cap and theend of said neck, and a second seal in the form of an O-ring encirclingsaid neck, said cap having a skirt telescoped over said neck and pressedtightly against said second seal both to form a back-up for said firstseal and to friction-ally anchor said cap on said neck.
 3. A fuel filteras defined in claim 1 in which said water is mixed with soluble oil. 4.A pollution-reducing filter for incorporation on the fuel supply systemof an internal combustion engine, said filter comprising: a plasticbottle having an inlet in the lower portion but above the bottomthereof, for connection to the fuel supply of the engine, and an outletspaced above said inlet and opening laterally through a sidewall of thebottle for connection to the fuel intake of the engine, and being filledwith water to a level between said inlet and said outlet so as to bubblefuel from said inlet upwardly through the water and form a layer of fuelin said bottle from said level to above said outlet; said bottle alsohaving an integral extension of reduced cross-sectional area defining aclosed air compartment above said outlet for holding a body of captiveair undeR pressure above said fuel layer and forming a cushion formaintaining a substantially even flow of fuel to and through saidbottle, said extension having a laterally offset tubular projection onthe upper end of said extension; said bottle having an opening in theupper end of said projection for the replenishment of water thereinafter the water level has fallen in use as a result of entrainment ofwater in the fuel passing through the bottle; and a cap tightly butremovably threaded onto said projection and sealing said opening.